A flatbed transport trailer normally has a series of belt-type winches along one side thereof. When the trailer is loaded, the belts from these winches extend over the load and are fastened to a rail on the other side of the trailer. Each winch has a spindle to which a belt is tied and wound. This spindle has a socket on its end. The socket is hollow and has four or more holes there through along its radii. A pry bar is inserted in a pair of holes to tighten the belt. A latch wheel and a pawl on the other end of the spindle prevent the spindle from giving slack to the belt.
When the trailer is unloaded, all these belts have to be rewound on the winches' spindles. While a pry bar is necessary for applying tension to each belt when these belts are deployed, it is not convenient for rewinding the belts.
A number of devices have been developed by others for rewinding winch belts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,844 issued to R. D. Anderson on Aug. 11, 1998, discloses a portable crank assembly that can be mounted inside the socket on a belt winch to turn the spindle of the winch. The crank is mounted on a rubber bushing that is inserted inside the socket. A bolt through the rubber bushing and a wingnut are used to expand the rubber bushing inside the socket to grip the socket and to transmit a torque from the crank to the spindle.
It is also known that different brace-and-bit-like handles have been developed by others for rewinding winch belts. In each case, one end of the handle is inserted axially into the socket on the winch's spindle and has a bent portion that is engaged with one of the radial holes. The handle is rotated to turn the spindle in a rewinding direction. Examples of these manual tools are described in the following documents:    U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,637 issued to Joseph Mocci on Aug. 15, 2000;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,470 issued to Roger G. Mosley on Jun. 4, 2002;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,339 issued to John Ray Childers on Nov. 30, 2004;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,872 issued to Thelton Ray Perkins, Jr. on Feb. 1, 2005.
In another example of a winch belt rewinding tool, U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,143 issued to Marty Guenther on Jul. 12, 2005, discloses a bar-like tool which has an end section that is bent at a right angle from the handle portion, the end section is inserted through the socket across the diameter of the socket to rotate the spindle. In the rewinding position, the handle of the tool extends parallel with the axis of the spindle. In the tightening position, the handle is tilted to extend perpendicular with the axis of the spindle.
Although manual tools of the prior art deserve undeniable merits, cordless drills are commercially available and more and more people appreciate their usefulness in an increasing number of applications. The use of a cordless drill in the rewinding of winch belts on transport trailer has its advantages as it makes the job much easier and faster. These advantages are particularly appreciated when the belts must be rewound in inclement weather conditions.
The prior art contains at least two examples of power-driven winch belt rewinding tools. The following documents disclose tools driven by cordless drills. These tools engage with structural features inside the socket on the winch, and each has a stem that is adapted to mount into the chuck of a cordless drill. These documents are:    U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,233 issued to James T. Wilsey on Oct. 31, 2000;    U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,755 issued to Thomas J. Reilly et al. on Oct. 22, 2002.
It is believed that a power-driven tool engaging with a structural feature inside the socket of a winch can work very well when the winch is new. After several years of use of the winch, however, the socket is generally filled with dust; it can also be slightly deformed from excessive force on the pry bar that is used to tighten the belts; or it can be deteriorated from corrosion due to humidity, ice, snow and road salt. In these conditions, the latter-mentioned tools may be difficult to insert inside the socket of a winch, and therefore these tools may not work as easily as anticipated.
Therefore, it is believed that there is a need in the trucking industry for a winch belt rewinding tool that can be power-driven and easily mountable to the outside surface of the winch's socket where corrosion, dust and dirt are less susceptible of hampering the tool's engagement with the socket.